Research While You Watch: A Media Guide To ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’

If you tuned into FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story Tuesday night, you probably gathered from the opening montage of archival news footage that this reimagining of the trial (and verdict) of the century is about much more than murder.

The dramatic rendering of the events leading up to and long after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman open, not with the crime itself, but two years earlier in L.A.’s ghettos. Creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, along with executive producer Ryan Murphy, were careful not to look back on the trial of football hero turned scorned public figure, O.J. Simpson, as an isolated event. The Rodney King riots, fueled by police brutality against Los Angeles’ poor and disadvantaged black community, becomes both the backdrop and catalyst of Simpson’s “incendiary” defense: the argument that this American icon was arrested and charged not because blood evidence placed him at the scene of the crime, but because he was a black man.

After only the pilot episode of this visceral new series, we’re challenged to wonder: had tensions between the LAPD and the black community resulted in a non-violent outcome, would Simpson have walked? Furthermore, had the trial been removed from the public eye and out of the grasp of molding by the media, would the prosecution have succeeded in winning over the jury? As The People v. O.J. Simpson rages on week after week, revisit the media that directly and indirectly fueled the trial fire.

Footage from the Rodney King Riots

After four LAPD officers were acquitted from police brutality charges for beating black motorist Rodney King in 1992, the city of Los Angeles was turned upside down. As Simpson’s verdict drew near in the fall of 1995, there was palpable fear that similar events would occur if he was convicted. The People v. O.J. Simpson opens with a few grizzly minutes of archival news footage, but the video above compiles over a half-hour of coverage from bystanders during the riots.

This Dog Was the Only Witness

Photo: Getty

The bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were first discovered after neighbor Sukru Boztepe, who was taking his dog for a walk, noticed Mrs. Simpson’s dog, “Kato,” had gotten outside the gate. After noticing the pup’s paws were covered in blood, he called the police.

Newsweek vs. Time Magazine Covers

Photo: Newsweek/Time Archives

One of the first heated pre-trial moments centered around the media’s coverage of Simpson’s fall from grace; specifically Time magazine. Time, which darkened Simpson’s mugshot to make him look blacker, received unrelenting heat from the black community around the nation. The blatant racism was perhaps made worse, however, when readers noticed the controversial Time spread was shelved next to Newsweek, which used the same exact mugshot, but did not manipulate the photo.

Jeffrey Toobin Interviews Robert Shapiro: "An Incendiary Defense"

Photo: Richard Avedon from Getty Archives

The series, though dramatized, is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s nonfiction account, The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. A lawyer and contributor to The New Yorker at the time of Simpson’s arrest in 1994, Toobin (we meet a fictionalized version of him later on in the show) met with Simpson’s lead defense attorney, Robert Shapiro (portrayed by John Travolta) to discuss the nature of the case. Shapiro, a master of his craft, knew that the blood evidence gathered by the prosecution team was damning to his client and instead, suggested to Toobin that LAPD detective, Mark Fuhrman, framed Simpson because of his race. Though slanderous and dangerous, this conspiracy becomes the defense’s main argument at trial.

Nicole Brown Simpson's 9/11 Calls

One of the many points the prosecution tried to convey was that Simpson was notoriously abusive towards his wife Nicole, even after they were no longer married. During her investigation, prosecutor Marcia Clark discovered that Nicole called police eight times over the years to report instances of domestic violence, but was unsuccessful.

Relive The Bronco Chase

Though the pursuit of Simpson’s notorious white Ford Bronco lasted hours, only segments of the televised infamy survive in the YouTube age. If you’re the type of viewer who can’t help but fall down this rabbit hole, the video above is a solid place to start. You can see the police have cleared the 405 freeway and hear LAPD detective Tom Lange trying to talk Simpson out of killing himself.

'The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson' by Jeffrey Toobin

Simpson and his attorneys smile as they watch footage from his daughter's dance recital the day of the murders. The defense tried to show that Simpson, who is seen embracing his son in the video, was not an angry man the day of the crime. Photo: Getty

If you’re the type of viewer who likes to read up before you watch an adaptation, check out the account on which the series is based: Jeffrey Toobin’s The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Written by Toobin one year after Simpson’s acquittal, the nonfiction account chronicles the events leading up to the jury’s decision and how the wildly publicized nature of the trial was likely the key component in the prosecution’s failure. Some lines in the series, such as Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s, “I’m not black, I’m O.J.” are lifted directly from Toobin’s research.

O.J. Tries on the Bloody Leather Glove

At the request of the prosecution — specifically attorney Christopher Darden (portrayed by Sterling K. Brown) — O.J. Simpson was asked, in front of the jury, to try on the bloody leather glove found at the crime scene. As not to disturb any blood evidence, Simpson put on a latex glove first then attempted to pull the leather glove over his hand. You can see in the video above, however, that Simpson makes a point to grab the tips of the gloves fingers, heavily suggesting that it’s practically impossible the glove — which is allegedly too small — could be his.

A Map of Brentwood

Photo: Everett Collection

One thing that continuously tripped up the jury — which they noted in their verdict decision — was the mysterious appearance of the Ford Bronco on Rockingham Avenue, around the corner from O.J. Simpson’s mansion. Simpson’s limo driver, Alan Park, first told the prosecution that when he drove to pick up Simpson to head to the airport the night of the murders, the Bronco was not parked on Rockingham. Over an hour later, when Simpson finally emerged from his estate, Park claimed the Bronco was stationed at the curb.

O.J. Simpson's Reaction to the Verdict

In the video above (though there are dozens of extended versions you can check out on YouTube), Simpson is seen physically breathing a sigh of relief upon hearing his acquittal. His attorney, Johnnie Cochran (portrayed in the show by Courtney B. Vance), is seen giving him a congratulatory slap on the back. Gasps of shock can be heard echoing throughout the court.